Wakatipu lobby group’s legal threat over Southern DHB healthcare fix

A Wakatipu lobby group is threatening authorities with court action over a radical new Queens-town health fix.

Wakatipu Health Trust slams last week’s announcement by Southern District Health Board chief executive Brian Rousseau of his vision for Wakatipu healthcare – a mix of GP and clinical options with hospital services at a single site.

No decision has been made on the location of such a one-stop shop – dubbed an Integrated Family Health Centre. Options are Frankton’s existing hospital, needing redevelopment, or a new health facility planned by Remarkables Park and the 14-doctor Queenstown Medical Centre.

If it’s the latter, the hospital could be sold with no guarantee Queenstown will benefit from the proceeds.

Lobby group the Wakatipu Health Trust – agitating for improved services since last year – has written to all SDHB members warning of potential High Court action, Mountain Scene can reveal.

WHT chair Craig Benington accuses SDHB of no community consultation on the possible relocation of hospital services to the planned Remarkables Park centre.

“If the board chooses to adopt this recommendation without detailed consultation, the Trust’s advice is that an application for judicial redress to set aside such a decision could be considered,” he writes.

Rousseau’s “one-stop shop” bombshell at 2pm last Thursday outlined a site including GPs, walk-in and nurse-led clinics, pharmacists, physiotherapists plus services for the “most urgent of hospital care”.

Within hours, Remarkables Park – developer of Frankton’s retail and residential hub – issued a statement that it and QMC are pushing ahead with a multi-million dollar modern health facility.